Housing plan near Notre Dame shelved again

July 09, 2008

SOUTH BEND -- Some 60 demonstrators were angry and frustrated Tuesday night when a controversial proposal to rezone land in Clay Township was yanked at the last minute from the County Council's agenda. The proposal would create a planned unit development on roughly 2 1/2 acres at George Street and McErlain Avenue. Illinois developer Robert Cimala wants to develop the land as housing for University of Notre Dame students. The campus is just a few blocks west of the site. Little Flower Catholic Church, located adjacent to the land, is among the neighbors objecting to the plan. A large contingent of parishioners and other neighbors were ready to speak against the proposal, but learned just minutes before the meeting that the council had agreed to continue the matter until next month. Cimala's attorney, Stephen A. Studer, asked for the continuance 20 minutes before the council convened. By then, the council chambers already were filling with remonstrators. This is the third postponement of the matter, which received an unfavorable recommendation in March from the Area Plan Commission. Studer declined to give a reason for the latest delay. The Rev. Neil Ryan of Little Flower was furious at the turn of events. What can you say, he asked, about a man who says he respects the neighbors and then cancels a hearing less than an hour before its start? Parishioner Penny Bergeson said the priest e-mailed Cimala last week to ask for an update on any changes he intended to make in the plans, but never received an answer. Ruthanne Brown, who lives near the site, said nothing Cimala can do will make the site acceptable. The neighborhood already has students living in it, she said, and she knows what problems they bring. The group will continue to protest the site, no matter when it eventually gets its public hearing, she said. The latest postponement "makes us more determined,'' she said. Laszlo Nemeth, another nearby neighbor, said he is not against Cimala's design, but doesn't think it belongs at that location, along a dark, narrow, hilly road. In other business, the council approved three ordinances that appropriated $500,000 each from three separate funds to pay for road repairs. The money will come from the County Economic Development Income Tax, the rainy day fund, and the Major Moves construction fund. County engineer Jessica Clark said the $1.5 million will repair 11 roads all over the county that suffered significant damage over the past winter's freeze-thaw cycles. The council had split votes on two controversial cell tower plans. It voted 5-3 to allow a previously approved 200-foot tower to be increased to 250 feet at 56491 Rice Road. Kerry Wallace, vice president of Charles S. Hayes Inc., said the added height is needed to serve the clients' needs better. The council voted 7-2 to allow a 195-foot tower to be raised at 25950 Indiana 2. Access will be from Sonora Road, according to Matthew Price, attorney for AT&T Mobility. He said the site is 1.6 miles from the Rice Road tower. In both cases, neighbors objected to potential problems and suggested alternative locations for the towers. Both Wallace and Price said they were unwilling to change locations. Staff writer Nancy J. Sulok: nsulok@sbtinfo.com (574) 235-6234